To Be in Love
by brittany89
Summary: Martin disappears. There's no evidence to suggest what happened to him. There are many possibilities, but none of them check out. Now at their wits end, the team begins to check in unsuspecting places. What they find could lead them to the shocking truth!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter one**

Samantha was broken. She was forced to pick up the pieces of her heart alone. Two and a half months later, she still hadn't figured out how to put the pieces of her broken heart in a well structured puzzle. Instead of breaking, the pieces continued to crumble.

Martin. There was no other name that could make Samantha's heart flutter. Every time she heard that name she would shake with excitement. And when she saw him, she lost her breath. He was compassionate, affectionate, polite, endowed, and so much more. He made her feel; it was beautiful.

And now, they were friends. Just friends. It was the hardest thing that Samantha heard from Martin's mouth. She loved him. She gave Martin her heart, and he crushed it. It was hard working with Martin. Being around the man she loved wasn't easy especially since they had to make constant contact. To Samantha, it was as if Martin was rubbing it in her face. He made her fall in love with him only for it to be thrown in her face.

Samantha felt a tear roll down her cheek. It was stubborn. It wouldn't stay in its safe haven: her eyes. Thinking about Martin was painful. She had too many fantastic memories of all sorts with him. Everything reminded her of him. She hated it. She was annoyed by it. Why couldn't she just move on?

But she wasn't going to tell Martin or anybody else her love for him. It would make her seem desperate and needy. It would make her seem weak and vulnerable. She couldn't have that. She was supposed to be a rock. She was supposed to be indestructible instead of giving away to a rock slide.

Martin felt like Samantha was ashamed of him. He felt insecure and loathed. He knew what love felt like. He knew that as soon as a woman called his name his heart ached to be with her. He knew that when his mind was blessed with constant memories about a particular woman he was in trouble. He knew that the smell of a particular woman made him weak in the knees. He knew he was in love with Samantha Spade, or at least really cared for her. And he also knew that being in love with a woman who was embarrassed of him was heart breaking. He had to end it.

It hurt but being with Samantha hurt just as much. He was confused. He knew that Samantha felt the same way. He knew. It hurt him that he broke her heart. He knew that she had taken a big leap in love. But he couldn't live the lie that she had so unfairly asked him to live. He just couldn't; he wouldn't.

He looked up at Samantha as he exited the bullpen. He watched as she scanned the paper for any clues that could potentially be a break in finding Kelly. She was so beautiful. He would always get lost in her eyes. He still found himself in a trance. He still found himself drawn to her. His love for her had begun to fade, not enough though. He cared for her deeply, and he was doing everything that he could to show her that.

Samantha looked up and caught Martin staring at her as he exited. He was ordered to visit Kelly's husband Richard. She smiled at him. Boy, she wished that he didn't do that. She adored his smile. She adored everything about him. She felt herself blush, so she was forced to turn her chair around. She picked up her paper and focused. It was all she could do.

***

It had been too long.

Samantha stared at the phone. Then she darted her eyes to the clock. Her gaze fell on her phone. Her eyes fixed on the clock.

She didn't have a good feeling about this at all. Martin was supposed to go to Richard's house. It was twenty minutes away. Questioning would only take about a half an hour. In a city with eight million people, Samantha understood that he could be running late. That part would only slow him down ten minutes at this time of day. That would add up to an hour and twenty minutes.

Martin had been gone for almost three hours. At first, Samantha was just wondering where he went. But when he didn't answer anybody's phone calls, her butterflies began to escalate into nerves. She knew that she shouldn't be as worried as she was. Martin was a man; he knew how to take care of himself.

"Viv, I want you and Danny to check out Kelly's ex. I'm going to dig deeper on her job." Jack paused and turned to Samantha. "I want you to go to Richard's and find out if Martin was there. And when you find him, kick his ass."

Samantha laughed at Jack's comment. But she didn't have time to dwell on his comment. She grabbed her things and walked out of the building with a little bit more sped and stamina than she should have.

Samantha noted that Martin's car wasn't parked in front of Richard and Kelly's house. She slowly walked up the stairs as if she was postponing her dread. She knocked lightly. She waited outside trying to calm the little nerves had plagued her body. She was in control of her body. She would only let fear wash over her if she knew something for certain.

Richard answered the door. His was itching his stubble, something that he didn't have twenty hours ago when his wife disappeared. His eyes radiated fear and hope. "What did you find?"

Samantha felt bad. She was coming here with nothing to do with his wife. She was coming here to see if Martin had been here. She didn't really want to ask him anymore. It was inconsiderate to ask him, but she had to know.

Samantha dropped her eyes. She didn't want to see his eyes. She played with her fingers. She looked back up at him averting his eyes. "No," she said apologetically, "this has nothing to do with Kelly. I was just wondering if Martin was here in the past three hours."

Richard looked stunned, but he wasn't offended. He shook his head. "Martin?" He stopped to think. "No. No, I don't think so. Last time I saw him, you were with him."

Samantha's heart dropped. Fear flooded her veins. This was certain: Martin hadn't made it here. Where the hell is he?

Samantha gave Richard a tight smile. "Thank you," she said sweetly. It was more to mask her guilt and anxiety. She turned around and began to descend down the stairs. She stopped and turned around to face Richard. "We're doing everything we can to find your wife. I promise." She shot a sad smile at him before turning around.

She had no idea what was going on. She swore that she felt bile rise in her throat. How could Martin be…missing?

***

_Please comment. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Since you guys did such a great job of reviewing, here's the next chapter. _

**Chapter two**

**4 hours missing**

"Kelly Smith's case has been transferred to another team so that we can focus on finding Martin," Jack announced. He sat at the head of the conference table with his four agents gathered around the table, staring at him.

Samantha rasped her leg against the floor. She stared at the doorway as if Martin was going to walk through it shouting, "Surprise!" She had no idea what could have happened to him, but she knew that it wasn't good.

"Danny, I want you to put an APB out on the car," Jack said. He watched Danny get up and walk away before he continued. "Sam, go to Martin's apartment and see what you can find."

Samantha jumped from the table. The faster she got this over with, the faster they could move on. She heard the faint sound of Jack's voice barking orders as she left.

Samantha looked up at the apartment complex. It looked exactly the same; however, when she reached Martin's apartment, she was surprised. Martin's apartment was different. Samantha couldn't explain it, but there was something about it that wasn't quite right. The place was clean as always. Pictures of him and his family especially Bonnie lined the walls and end tables. There were less personal items than before. There were some new sculptures as well.

Samantha slowly walked through the apartment looking at everything. Being in his apartment brought back so many memories, most of them good. Her face was blank. The apartment was cold.

Martin's bedroom was the same. But when Samantha looked at the night stand, she saw something that she thought she would never see at his apartment again. It was a crumpled, wrinkly, and torn picture of her and Martin. She remembered that day. It was a day in the park…

***

_It was hot. The grass and trees were green. A colorful array of flowers danced in the zephyr. It was a cooling zephyr but not cold. _

_Samantha and Martin sat on the bench licking their ice cream cones. They didn't say anything. It was a peaceful silence which was well deserved. They had spent the last hour and a half talking each other's ear off. _

_Samantha peered off towards the pond. She was watching the ducks that chose to make Central Park their home. She watched as the duck's butt stuck out from the surface of the water. She was lost in thought completely oblivious to her surroundings and Martin._

_She didn't notice Martin leaning in until she heard the flash of the camera. Samantha shot her head back to stare at Martin. _

_He had a smile on his face. He waved the digital camera in front of her face. "That was cute." _

_Samantha tried to get the camera away from Martin. She ended up losing her ice cream in the process, but Martin was just too fast for her. She wanted to maintain a sense of decorum, so she sat back in the bench, pouting. She listened to Martin's laugh. She had to admit that his laugh was cute._

_He had always haunted her with that picture. It was a form of playful blackmail. _

_***_

Now that she looked at it, the picture was silly. She was staring off into space with her tongue licking her ice cream. Martin's face was barely peeking out from behind her right shoulder on the bottom left of the picture. He was laughing in it. Anybody could tell by looking at it.

Samantha replaced the picture. She walked to the closet and peered inside. Martin's wardrobe was neatly hanging. The suitcases where piled in a far corner.

Samantha sat on the bed and looked around. She was frustrated. Why did Jack send her here? There was nothing here to find. She pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar number.

It went straight to voice mail. She knew it would. "Hey, Martin, this is Samantha. I…ah…I was just wondering if you could give me a call. I'm worried about you." She hung up the phone and clutched it. She sat there unmoving just breathing in Martin's scent before she picked up her phone again. "Jack, there's nothing here," she told him, resentful that he sent her on a wild goose chase.

"Okay, why don't you go meet Viv and Elena? They're down by that old Deli on 6th. They're trying to find anyone who may have seen him."

"Okay," Samantha said before hanging up the phone. She walked to the door. She took one last look around before leaving.

Samantha parked in the nearest parking spot that she could find. She had a brief walk, but she figured that it was good for her to walk. It could clear her head. After all, she had a job to do.

She immediately spotted Vivian talking to a man. When the man left, Samantha stepped up to her. "Anything?"

Vivian shook her head. "We've been out here for about a half an hour. Nothing," she said creasing her forehead. "Something tells me that the answers aren't on the streets of New York."

Samantha nodded her head. "Yeah," she gave a throaty laugh. "Where's Elena?" She looked around, but she didn't see the Latina.

Vivian pointed to the deli. "She's in there doing the same thing I am out here."

Samantha held out her hand. "Do you have a picture of him?"

Vivian gave her a slight smile. She pulled out a picture from behind the one that she was holding and handed it to Samantha. "I thought you'd never ask," she said smiling. Her smile was tainted with concern.

Samantha took the picture and stepped away from Vivian. She looked at it for a little bit. His smile in the picture was bright. She felt like he was smiling at her. She walked up to a fat man with a business suit on. He seemed like he was in a hurry. "Have you seen him?"

The man didn't even look at the picture. "No."

Samantha sighed. "You didn't even look at the picture."

The man smirked. He was eyeing her. Samantha felt uncomfortable, but she was used to it.

"I know."

"Have you seen him?" Samantha said pushing the picture towards him.

The man's eyes lingered on Samantha's body before he veered his eyes to the picture. "No."

Samantha smiled. "Okay, thank you." She stepped away and found an old woman who denied seeing him. She stepped up to a tall, handsome man and repeated her question.

"No," the man said. When Samantha turned to walk away, he forced his hand out in front intending for Samantha to shake it.

Samantha sighed. What was it with all of these men? She had a job to do and a love to find. But Samantha wasn't rude by nature. She took the man's hand and smiled at him.

"I'm Christian," he said. His smile was from ear to ear.

"Agent Spade."

"Well, Agent Spade, would you like to go out with me?"

Samantha smiled. There it was. The burning question that she was frequently asked. She didn't want to go out with anybody but Martin. That kind of scared her. "Oh…um…thanks but I can't." She took her hand back and smiled before stepping away to find another person.

Collin was bald, short, and fat. He seemed to think that he had a real shot with Samantha. After Samantha asked him, he was all over her, telling her how pretty she was.

After a few hours, Samantha, Vivian, and Elena had absolutely nothing solid to go on. Samantha did, however, have five offers for dates and about a dozen guy's eyes wonder over her body. Why could she get so many offers for dates from everybody else except the man she loved?

***

_Thanks again for the reviews. Please keep it up. ___


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

**8 hours missing**

Eight hours. Eight hours that nobody had seen Martin. Martin left the FBI office at ten o' clock that morning to interview Richard. It was now six o' clock, and nobody heard from him. They hadn't even found the car that he was driving. They were forced to profile Martin like a stranger. The problem was that they knew a lot about Martin's life. There would be no secrets to uncover. There was no evidence to suggest anything. Did he run away? Was he abducted? Was he involved in an accident? Did he just decide to quit without telling anybody? Did he kill himself? All of these scenarios were unlikely, and yet most of the cases the team solved turned out to end in one of these outcomes.

Samantha felt helpless. What could have happened to him? This whole thing was discouraging and disheartening. It was as if Martin just disappeared off the face of the earth. He was nothing but a distant memory now. But Samantha knew that something had to of happened to Martin. He wouldn't just run away. He had too much to look forward to.

Samantha rested her head in her hands. She stared out the window at the houses that lined the street. It was a quiet neighborhood. Green grass and trees lined the sidewalks and driveways. It was nice. She remembered being on this street only once. It was when Bonnie Toland disappeared.

Samantha's heart was aching. She was extremely worried about Martin. There was no explanation for anything. She didn't know what she would do if she lost him. It was true that they weren't much more than friends. But at least she got to see him every day, to talk to him, to interact with him.

Samantha hated her eyes. Why couldn't her tears be stubborn and refuse to fall? She reached up with one finger and wiped the lone tear off of her cheek. She sniffled lightly.

Vivian pulled into the driveway and stopped the car. She turned to her younger colleague. She could tell that there was something going on with her. She was concerned about Martin, but Samantha was taking it hard. She knew deep down that Martin and Samantha had had some kind of relationship before. "Are you okay?"

Samantha jumped. She hadn't expected to hear that. She turned to her and smiled. "I'm just worried about him."

Vivian opened the car and got out. "I know you are. So am I."

Samantha got out of the car. She and Vivian followed the path up to the front door. They knocked on the door.

A gray haired man came to the door. His face was creased with concern. "Samantha," he greeted, "nice to see you again."

Samantha stepped in and shook Roger's hands. She looked around and saw Jamie sitting in the kitchen tending to Ava along with Allison. "I just wish it was under better circumstances." She pointed to Vivian. "This is Agent Vivian Johnson."

Roger shook Vivian's hand and escorted them to the living room. "I don't know what to think."

_Me neither, _Samantha thought. She and Vivian rounded the corner to see an unfamiliar face smiling at them from the couch.

"This is Jake," Roger introduced. "He and Marty knew each other since they were in diapers."

Jake stood up and shook Samantha's hand. He had a twinkle in his eye. "I just moved to New York a couple of days ago and then this happens," he said in a solemn tone.

Samantha was confused. How convenient for Jake to show up a few days before Martin goes missing. She knew that they had their first viable suspect. She sat down on the couch next to Vivian. She couldn't take her eyes off of Jake. It was too convenient.

"How has Martin been doing?" Vivian began. She knew that Bonnie had died not that long ago. She also noticed that Martin was distracted at work lately, and he was beginning to be careless.

Roger's eyes darted to a picture of him and his wife. He lowered his head and eyes. "Bonnie died a few weeks ago. Martin took it hard."

Samantha flashed back to when they found Bonnie at the doctor's house. She had comforted Martin in the hospital as he cried. He seemed fine on Monday, but maybe it was just a façade. She sighed. Nothing in her life was going right.

"How hard?" Vivian asked.

Roger looked up at the women. "Well at the funeral, we were all distracted, but he…it was different."

***

_People were dressed in black holding wine glasses and having a good time. Martin could hear the faint music float upstairs and into his ears. He lay erect on his aunt's bed with his arm covering his eyes. He wasn't crying. He was contemplating everything that his aunt had helped him with. It was as if he was watching a movie in his mind, and the main star was Bonnie._

_"What are you doing up here, Marty?" Roger asked. He had entered the room quietly._

_Martin jumped up and stared at his uncle. He sat up on the bed and smiled. "I don't like this," he proclaimed._

_"Like what?" Roger asked. He sat down beside him._

_"Aunt Bonnie has always been there for me. She supported me, and without her I_—_"_

_"It's not supposed to be easy," Roger soothed. _

_Martin just gave him a weak smile. He lay back down. "Can I just be alone?" he asked in almost a whisper._

***

"The funeral was supposed to be a celebration of life, but Martin didn't take to that very well. He seemed distant lately," Roger explained. "I tried to talk to him about it, but he wouldn't listen. He would always just pass it off."

Samantha turned to Jake. "Were you at the funeral?" She was polite yet forceful.

Jake laughed. "No, I…ah…I haven't had any contact with this family for years. I was looking through the New York phonebook one day, and I found them. I decided to call them."

Samantha looked at Vivian. Vivian knew what Samantha was thinking, and she couldn't agree more. "Mr…..?" Vivian asked.

"Roberts," Jake offered. "But call me Jake."

Vivian smiled. "Where were you this morning?"

Jake's face contorted into annoyance, but the smirk never left. "I was at work."

"Where do you work?" Samantha asked.

Jake looked back and forth between the agents then at Roger. His jaw was open. "I work at Walgreens. You can go check. It's the one over on Broadway."

Samantha raised her eyebrows. "We will."

"Well, I think that we got what we need for now," Vivian said getting up and motioning for Samantha to follow her.

"That doesn't sound good in there," Vivian said. She climbed into the driver's side of the car.

"What?"

"How Martin reacted to Bonnie's death."

Samantha's jaw dropped. "His aunt died," she retaliated. "If he didn't act like that, then I'd be concerned." She paused to read Vivian. She read her all right. She lowered her head and widened her eyes. "You are suggesting that Martin took his own life, are you?"

Vivian stared straight ahead at the garage door. She sighed heavily. "No, I'm not saying that. I really don't think that Martin would do that, but if he were a stranger, I would say yeah."

Samantha's heart sunk. Martin wouldn't kill himself! There's no way. He had too much to live for. Why was Vivian thinking like that? She didn't have faith in Martin, but she did. She hugged herself trying to shake the thought of Martin committing suicide. Her nerves were running wild in her stomach. Even if Martin was to commit suicide, why would he do it when he was supposed to go interview a suspect? "What about Jake Roberts? Don't you think that it's a little odd that he shows up a few days before this? And how did he get a job so fast?" Samantha questioned. She was mostly just thinking out loud.

Samantha was hopeful. Jake Roberts was looking like a good suspect. Now she just had to find a motive, and she had to make sure that his alibi didn't check. But she could feel it. This was their guy. The question was: What did he do to Martin?

***

_I'm curious as to what you think happened to Martin. So tell me what you think and if you're right then I'll post the names of the people who were right on the last chapter. _

_Thanks for Reading!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four**

_21 hours missing_

They were forced to stop for the night. There was little they could do with a closed city. They were all supposed to get rest for Martin's sake. But Samantha only slept for a few hours. It was a few more hours of sleep than she thought she would get. With every passing minute, the chance of finding Martin alive faded, assuming he was abducted.

Who knows what Jake was doing to Martin? Or have done. Samantha was sure that it was Jake. Martin was missing because of Jake. He had to be. The other option was him killing himself. That was not a plausible explanation for Martin's disappearance in her mind.

Samantha had consumed a lot of coffee. It was her only energy source. Food wasn't an option; it was too time consuming.

Samantha stepped into the office and saw Danny sitting at his desk. It was seven in the morning, looks like he couldn't sleep either. "Morning," she greeted half-heartedly.

"Hey, Sam, come here. I think I got something," he said.

Samantha threw her things on her desk. She practically ran to Danny's desk. "What is it?" She was afraid to get her hopes up, but she couldn't help it.

Danny pointed to Martin's phone records. "Look," he said, "there's a guy named Aiden Appleton. I have the phone records, and Martin and Aiden have been calling each other for at least the past week, only talking for minutes at a time."

Samantha took the phone records from Danny. She analyzed them before saying, "Who is he?"

"He's a lawyer," Danny said leaning back in his chair as if saying that his work is done.

Samantha's head shot up and looked at Danny. "What is he talking to a lawyer for?"

"I don't know," Danny said, "but we're going to find out."

"Morning," Jack said in a scruffy voice. "Vivian and Elena just called. They went to Walgreens to check Jake's alibi. He alibied out."

Samantha looked up. What?! How is that possible? All hope faded. She was so sure. Her body slumped. Now what? She wanted to cry; though, she knew that she wouldn't. But maybe that's what she needed.

"Looks like Martin has been talking to a guy named Aiden Appleton, sometimes twice a day," Danny chimed in. "Sam and I was just on our way to find this guy."

"Good, great," Jack said nodding towards the door.

***

From his office, Aiden Appleton's favorite color was brown. His desk, chairs, and wall were brown. There were a few colorful pictures hanging on the walls, but it wasn't enough to liven up the office.

A balding man sat behind the desk; he was tall and skinny. His arms were crossed above the table. He stared as the agents filed into his office. He generously offered them a seat. "What can I do for you two?" he asked smiling.

Samantha didn't want to greet him. She wanted to get this over with. She handed a picture of Martin to the lawyer before she sat down. "Have you seen him?"

Aiden stared at it. He played with his tongue. It was as if he was debating whether or not he should tell them. "Yes," he said handing the picture back to Samantha.

Samantha took it back. She knew that she shouldn't get her hopes up again. But she couldn't help it. She was desperate and determined to find Martin. Her nerves were always on end. Because of that, she had a hard time eating; she was never one to eat when she was nervous. She knew that her lack of sleep was beginning to scream at her: She was exhausted. "When?"

Aiden looked between the two of them. He was suspicious. "What's this about?"

"Mr. Appleton, Martin is missing, and the faster you answer our questions, the faster we can find him," Danny said. His face carried annoyance.

Aiden smiled. "Well, he was here about a week ago."

***

_Martin sat right were Samantha was. He was obviously nervous as his leg shook slightly._

_"Agent Fitzgerald, I called you in to ask for your help."_

_Martin's eyes grew into confusion. He didn't understand. It was his day off, and this man, who he's never met before, called him. He came all the way down to his office. He thought that the lawyer would be letting him know that he was getting sued or something. And he wanted his help. He began to relax. "What do you mean?" he said taking a deep breath. _

_"William Rodriquez," Aiden announced. _

_Martin jumped. It was a name that he thought that he would never hear again._

_"This case is being reopened, and I was wondering if you would testify for us against John Paterson."_

***

"He agreed to do it. He was supposed to testify in a few days."

"What was he testifying against?" Danny asked.

Aiden sighed heavily. "He didn't tell you?"

Samantha wanted to reach across the table and wrap her hands around his throat. Why would they be asking if they knew? And why was he asking so many questions?

"No," Danny said.

"Well, when Martin was about nine years old, he was walking to school. He saw a man shoot another man in the head. That man with the gun was William Rodriguez. Only, new evidence suggested something different. Martin always maintained that it wasn't William, but the evidence suggested otherwise. The case is reopened, and now John Paterson is on trial for it. Martin was going to testify."

Samantha's eyes went wide. This could be it. This could be what they were waiting for. Maybe whoever John Paterson was took Martin the shut him up. If that were the case, John probably wouldn't have any problem killing him.

Samantha felt bad. She was upset that Martin wouldn't tell her about this. At least her. But no. This seemed like it might have had an impact on Martin as a young child. He was only nine. He probably didn't know what was going on.

Danny knew that Samantha was thinking that John Paterson was another viable suspect. He did too. It was blatant. "Thank you," Danny said standing up. Samantha mimicked him.

"I think that John Paterson might have been the reason why Martin went missing," Danny commented as they made their way to the car.

"Let's go check out this Paterson guy."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five**

_27 hours missing_

Samantha was about to go crazy. Not knowing what happened to Martin was a nightmare. She hadn't slept in about 30 hours. Food hasn't passed her lips in about the same amount of time. She hated Martin. He had so much control over her without meaning to.

Samantha took a sip of her coffee as she sat at her desk. There was nothing to do. Vivian and Jack were out talking to John. The waiting was killing her. She didn't know exactly where this was coming from, but a wonderful memory clouded Samantha's mind.

_***_

_Samantha and Martin sat in the tech room viewing video after video trying to find their missing person. They had been at it for quite some time, and their boredom level was rising. It was late; nobody was in the office. They actually had no idea why they were still there, but they were._

_Samantha leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. She was practically glaring at the monitors. _

_Martin saw Samantha's distress and got up off of his chair. He walked behind her and began to rub her shoulders. He smiled when she groaned with pleasure. "So what do you say we call it a night?"_

_Samantha smiled. "Don't you mean morning?"_

_Martin laughed and brought his chair close to Samantha's. He sat down and stared at her._

_Samantha was a little nervous. Why the hell was he staring at her with that silly smile? Her eyes moved back and forth. She stared at him, too. But she lost. "What?" she laughed. _

_"Close your eyes," he said laughing. _

_Samantha stared at him. "Why?"_

_"Trust me. Just close them."_

_Samantha stared at Martin for a few moments before closing her eyes. They were tightly shut. "Okay," she said, "they're closed." Suddenly she felt the familiar warmth and softness of Martin's lips on her own. She immediately opened her mouth to allow Martin access to her mouth. Just when the kiss grew deeper, Martin pulled away. Samantha's eyes fluttered open and stared at him as if she asked him why he stopped. Instead of speaking, she groaned._

_He held out his hand and stood up. "Let's go home, now."_

_Samantha hated him. He teased her. It was one of his favorite games. She took Martin's hand, and Martin led out of the office._

_***_

"Sam, are you okay?"

Samantha snapped back to reality to find Elena perched on her desk, staring down at her with concern. She smiled more to reassure herself of the answer. "Depends," she shrugged.

Elena's head dropped. She patted Samantha's shoulder. "It's okay. We'll find him."

Samantha smiled as she walked away. She knew that Elena said that more to convince herself. It didn't really make her feel any better. Samantha glanced over to the doorway and saw Vivian walking in. She bolted out of her seat and practically ran into Vivian. "Well?" she asked. There had to be something good. They were gone for hours.

Vivian dropped her shoulders and sighed. She began to walk towards the conference table indicating Samantha to follow her which she did. She sat down and waited for Samantha to get situated before she continued. "He didn't do it."

Samantha stopped. There was nothing more frustrating than this. There was no hope left in her. Every lead turned out to be nothing.

Vivian grabbed Samantha's hand. "I was thinking about the Reyes case."

"That guy in the drop house?" Samantha asked. "What about him?"

"Martin told me that he thought that it was behind him. He said that lately he's been thinking about it along with other things," Vivian suggested. "My guess is that he was thinking about his aunt."

Samantha shook her head. It wasn't possible. Martin wouldn't run away. "No," she said firmly.

"Samantha," Vivian said slowly, "maybe the stress of everything prompted him to run. It wouldn't be the first time somebody ran away."

Samantha's eyes close. No. "First you think that he killed himself. Now you think he ran away," she said coldly.

"I still think that killing himself is a possibility."

Samantha stood. She wasn't going to hear this. She pushed in her chair and said, "I have faith in him. Something happened to him." With that she walked away. She had to get out. She had to clear her head. She was about to cry; she could feel it. She found herself wondering outside of the FBI building. She sat on the bench that sat outside.

She could feel the warm tears leave her eyes and roll down her cheek. She couldn't help it. They just came. She loved Martin and something happened to him. She knew it. He wouldn't kill himself like Vivian suggested or run away. He was smarter than that. If he had run away, why didn't he take his clothes? He wasn't in an accident of any sort.

But the only other thing that made sense was he was abducted. But it didn't make sense at the same time. There was absolutely nobody that would want to hurt him. He didn't have enemies. He hadn't done anything that would make somebody seek revenge. They should know. They all spent countless hours profiling him.

It was all so confusing. It was as if Martin literally disappeared. Usually they had some idea of what might have happened to their missing person by now. Whether they ran away or something happened to them. It was usually clear by now. But not Martin. He left no clues. He left nothing for them to find him.

Then again, maybe that's what Martin wanted. It was plausible for him to run away. But the way he did it. There was something wrong about it. Samantha thought that he would at least quit and let everybody know.

Wait.

What was Samantha thinking? Martin didn't run away. He couldn't. He had more respect and professionalism than this would suggest. Not to mention all of his friends and family were here. He wouldn't just up and leave. Would he?

"Well, what's a pretty face doing out here all alone?"

Samantha looked up to find the owner of the voice. The voice belonged to one of those men that had asked her out. What was his name? She forgot. "Hi," Samantha said, "what are you doing here?" She secretly whipped her tears and forced a bit more happiness in her voice than she felt.

The man pointed to the FBI building. "I work here," he said. He pointed out his name tag.

Christian. That was it.

Samantha wasn't shy about containing her surprise. She raised her eyebrow. "Really?" she inquired. "I've never seen you around."

Christian laughed. He pointed next to Samantha. "Mind if I sit?"

Shit. Without meaning to, Samantha just engaged herself in a conversation with this stranger. Whatever. Maybe talking to somebody would be good. She scooted over without saying a word. She watched the cars rush by them.

Christian sat down. "I'm in violent crimes."

Samantha raised her head and gave a little nod. She didn't say anything. Her mind was still racing. But she was surprised. He wasn't just a pretty face. But neither was Martin.

Christian followed Samantha's gaze before staring at her. "I heard that you still haven't found Martin."

Samantha turned to glare at him. She didn't mean to, but her emotions made her do strange things. "I thought you haven't seen him."

Christian laughed. He rested his right ankle on top of his left knee. "I haven't... He's big news." He stared at her.

Samantha met his eyes for the first time. His eyes were pretty. They were a deep blue with a hint of green. His smile wasn't that bad either. If she wasn't so distraught about Martin, she would be all over him. Well, there was also the fact that she was in love with Martin. She smiled at him. She didn't want him to think that she was rude. Why did she care what he thought?

"Do you know what happened to him?" Christian asked. His face was soft. He was obviously sympathetic to Samantha's feelings.

Absolutely not.

Samantha sighed. It was as if she was postponing the inevitable truth. "Nope." Actually verbally confessing that Martin's whereabouts were unknown was harder than she thought.

Christian sighed. "He seems like a great guy." He paused. "Do you need any help?"

Samantha stared at him. That was sweet. He seemed like a caring person, but she had a feeling that there was an ulterior motive. "Thanks, but I'm not really sure what you could help with."

Christian frowned. "Well, I can go around and put flairs up. Get his face known." Christian knew that putting up flairs was stupid, but there was nothing else left. Plus, he wasn't sure if the M.P.U. did that. After all, he didn't know the first thing about finding missing people. Violent crimes unit wouldn't do that.

Samantha smiled. The FBI's tactics were usually more sophisticated than that. But seeing as how there weren't any leads or anything to follow up on, Samantha figured that it was better than sitting on a bench and crying. "Sure."

***

Hope came in the form of Channel 2 news.

Christian turned out to be more help than Samantha could have fathomed. His suggestion had sparked something in Jack. He began calling different news stations trying to find anybody willing to cover Martin's story. Finally, channel 2 answered his prayers.

Samantha sat in the tech room. Elena was beside her with Danny next to her. They were watching the news. It was live. They watched Jack's booming voice reverberate over the crowd. Vivian stood behind him a few feet. Her arms were crossed, and her eyes were scanning the crowd. Jack was speaking freely about Martin's disappearance. After all, there was nothing to hide. They couldn't hide something that they didn't have.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six**

_59 hours missing_

There were many leads. None of them were accurate, though. Some of them were ridiculous too. But every lead was checked. There was nothing. Martin literally disappeared without a trace.

Samantha didn't know what to do. She was beside herself. She and Vivian just got done interviewing what seemed like a solid lead. But it was yet another dead end.

She walked slowly to her desk with her hand on her neck. She was rubbing circles. She was beat. Although she had slept, it wasn't much, and it was beginning to show. She sighed. It was over two days since Martin vanished. It was coming up on three days, and all she was going to do was go home. She felt bad about going home, but she knew that she would be no good to Martin if she couldn't even keep her eyes open. Plus, there were many people who were working around the clock to find Martin.

When Samantha exited the FBI building, she heard a familiar voice. She stopped where she was and waited for Christian to approach her. She flashed him a friendly smile.

Christian steadily jogged slowly to Samantha. "Anything?" he asked.

Samantha shook her head and sighed. "No." Disappointment filled her voice.

Christian looked towards the ground. "I was sure that there would be."

"Me too."

Christian looked back at Samantha. "Do you want to go have a drink with me?" he asked. He seemed nervous.

Samantha thought that was cute, but she really wasn't in the mood to go out with him. She wasn't interested in him the way Christian was interested in her. He was a good friend, though. "No, thanks," she said. "I really need to sleep."

Christian cocked his head and stared at her. His face was soft with a hint of hurt. "Come on," he coaxed. He was smiling at her. "Just as friends, nothing else," he said bending his elbow so his arms were parallel to the buildings.

Samantha watched Christian. He looked desperate, and it looked like he had to build up the courage to ask her. She smiled at him. She really didn't want to go home to an empty house and think about Martin. "Okay, just one."

Christian smiled and motioned for her to follow him.

"So, I was thinking that maybe we could offer a reward to find Martin," Christian suggested. He took a sip of his beer. He and Samantha sat at the bar.

Samantha smiled. He was really trying to help her find Martin. She was half done with her martini. She just shrugged. It really wasn't something that they did.

Christian smiled at the silence that Samantha gave him. "You really care about him, don't you?" he asked.

Samantha looked down at her drink. "Yeah," she said almost hesitating. "I do."

Christian smiled. "Sounds like a really good guy if he has your heart."

Samantha gave a weak smile. He was.

***

_Martin opened the door so that Samantha could exit. They had just eaten at the best restaurant around. It was semiformal. He had a smile plastered on his face as did Samantha._

_Samantha practically ran out of the restaurant. She was just so excited. She couldn't help it. It was an exquisite night. She waited for Martin and clasped her hands with his. She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "thank you."_

_Martin wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the car. "Anything for you," he said._

_Samantha smiled and kissed his cheek. She knew that she would never forget that night. It was full of dancing, delight, and delicious food. The three D's. _

_***_

"Yeah," she said simply as she took the last sip of her drink. "He's just so… " she trailed off catching herself. She stared at him.

Christian stared at her before gesturing to her drink. "Ready to go?"

Samantha jumped.

Christian noticed her reaction and said, "You're done. You said one drink."

_Oh yeah. _Samantha jumped from the barstool and followed Christian out. He was completely nice and handsome. But he wasn't her type. Her type was out there somewhere. With each step towards the door she took, she felt guiltier. She was out having a drink with some man while Martin was out there…somewhere.

***

Samantha lay in bed. Sleep was there, right in front of her. But it didn't consume her. So, she stared at the ceiling. Thoughts of Martin invaded her mind, none of them good. She didn't move. Her body was in anatomical position with the blankets draped over her stomach.

_He disappeared while driving to interview Richard. The car was never found. He wouldn't take it if he were running away. Where's the car? More importantly, where's Martin? He wouldn't kill himself. What happened to him?_

Samantha was driving herself crazy with Martin's disappearance. Her well-being was affected. But the truth was that she didn't care. Once she found out that Martin was safe and alive, the constant fluttering in her stomach would fade.

Samantha jumped when she heard the alarm sing and dance on her nightstand. She quickly swatted the alarm, turning it off. At least she got a few hours. She got up and turned the hot water on. She stepped in allowing the water to hit her, filling her body with warmth. It was something that she felt when she was wrapped up in Martin's arms even if it was in the dead of winter.

When she walked into the office, she knew something was going on. Everybody was bustling around the office. She immediately spotted Vivian and Elena talking at the conference table with Christian and another man that she didn't recognize. She trailed up behind them.

Her heart sunk. Her breathing escalated as she trailed up behind the four. For all she knew, they were trying to find Martin's murderer. "What's going on?" she asked. She knew her voice was shaky.

The four turned around and smiled at them.

"Sam, this is Agent Christian Wilson and Agent Vince Watson," Vivian introduced. "They'll be helping us."

Samantha gave a warm smile to Christian and Vince. "What's going on?" she reiterated.

Vivian smiled. It made Samantha's nerves feel better. She wasn't sad; she was happy. In fact, all four agents were happy. She calmed her breathing.

"We got a tip," Vivian began. "Apparently, there's a man named Oscar Milton. The tipster said that he was gloating about swiping an FBI agent. Milton said that he had nabbed him for fun and that he was being held in a factory that he owns. We checked on Oscar Milton. He was arrested when he was twenty for kidnapping and killing a young girl, but he got off because there wasn't enough evidence. And Milton owns a factory just outside the city."

Samantha wasn't going to get her hopes up. Not this time. She refused. At least that's what she told herself that when the next lead comes in. She vowed that she wasn't going to her hopes up. But they found him! Martin was in a factory owned by Oscar Milton. It was impossible to stay calm.

"Christian and Vince and their team have been tracking Oscar for quite some time now. That's why they're here. They know him," Vivian finished.

Samantha jumped up and down with a smile on her face. "When do we leave?"

Elena smiled and stood from her seat. "Right now."

They pulled up to the factory quietly as to not alert Oscar Milton who had disappeared into the factory only seconds earlier. They had their guns pointed to the ground as they stalked up to the tiny factory.

Samantha was afraid to see what condition Martin was in. Was he going to be beaten? Was he going to be alive? She looked up at Jack who counted with his fingers. Once three fingers pointed to the sky on Jack's hand, Vince broke down the door and everybody flooded in.

The factory was good sized with a few offices. The tipster said that Milton was keeping Martin in the basement of the factory. Nobody goes down there. So Samantha, Danny, Elena, and Jack made their way to the basement while everybody else fanned throughout the factory.

The basement was dark. There were faint lights hanging from the ceiling which provided little light but enough to stalk Oscar.

Oscar was at the far end of the basement behind some boxes so only his torso was visible. He was bending down. It was impossible to see what he was doing.

Samantha knew that Martin was behind those boxes, hidden even if some adventurous soul did come down here. "FREEZE! FBI!" she shouted.

Oscar's face contorted into worry. His bald head shot up and stared at the FBI. His face grew red. His hands immediately rose to the ceiling. "It's not mine! I swear!" he shouted.

Once Oscar was arrested, Samantha ran towards the boxes. A smile was on her face. She would throw her arms around him. She couldn't contain her smile; it was so bright.

But when she rounded the corner, she frowned. She gasped as she looked down. Her heart stopped beating. _This can't be happening, _she thought.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven**

_72 hours missing_

Samantha sat in the interrogation room. She stared daggers at Oscar Milton who sat across from her. Her eyes wondered over his bald head and deep brown eyes. Oscar had his hands clasped together on the table. He glanced nervously at Samantha.

Samantha worked her tongue in the side of her cheek. She envisioned herself diving across the table to fix her hands around his chubby throat. She wanted to squeeze the life out of him as she assumed he did to Martin.

The feelings of disappointment and defenselessness overwhelmed her when she peered behind the boxes.

_***_

_Samantha bent down behind the boxes. It was dark: Her eyes could be playing tricks on her. There was no body. There was no Martin. There were only drugs. She looked up at Jack, Danny, and Elena. She flashed them a sad smile. She turned around. She couldn't look at them. The tears that threatened to fall were causing her eyeballs to sting. She shivered. _

_Samantha didn't feel like continuing this anymore. She really wanted to collapse. She felt like the floor had been pulled from underneath her. She just wanted to go home and forget about all of this. But Martin was still out there. She couldn't. _

_Martin._

_Martin was the single thing that could motivate her to continue her search. Martin was the only name that could deprive her of sleep and food. _

_"Let's look around," Jack ordered. "He's here somewhere."_

_But Samantha knew the truth. Martin wasn't there. In fact, they probably just missed him. But Samantha wasn't deterred. She had a job to do. She began to search throughout the building. Nothing. There was so much stuff piled in the basement. So much unnecessary stuff. _

_Samantha found herself walking through the tiny walk way. Boxes and junk lined the perimeter. Her foot hit something and caught. Samantha tripped. She almost fell, but she grabbed a hold of some boxes to regain her footing. A few boxes and some other stuff tumbled to the ground with a thud. Samantha grunted in frustration. But then she saw it. _

_Samantha stopped and stared at it for a few moments. She slowly bent down extending her arms. She reached in her coat for an elastic glove before she put her hand on the barrel. She brought the gun up to her eyes and stared at it. It was Martin's. She knew it. She looked back down where the gun rested. She moved a box and found Martin's badge. She opened it and saw Martin smiling back at her. _

_Just seeing Martin's face smiling at her caused her to smile. _

_***_

Samantha leaned forward in her seat. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped. She opened her mouth again. "Where is he?" she asked. Her voice was cold.

Oscar frowned. He stared at her with confusion. "Where's who?"

Samantha crossed her arms. "Martin Fitzgerald," she spat.

Oscar sat back in his seat. "I don't know who that is."

Just then the door opened and Jack appeared. He carried two plastic bags with him, one with the gun and the other with the badge. Jack placed the bags on the table and scooted Martin's badge towards Oscar. "That's Martin Fitzgerald," he said. He stepped back from the table and stood behind Samantha, staring at Oscar.

Oscar stared at the agents. He slowly reached for the bag, unsure of himself. He looked at the picture for a few moments before replacing the bag back on the table. "Isn't that the cop that's missing?"

Samantha raised her eyebrow. "Yes," she said. She was getting frustrated with him. He was playing stupid with them. "Recognize them?" she said waving her hand towards the gun and badge.

Oscar looked up at them. "No," he said flatly.

Jack stepped forward and leaned on the table. "We found that in your basement. The one that is conveniently located in your factory."

Oscar looked between the two of them. "I didn't do anything to him," he said forcefully.

Samantha leaned forward in her chair. "What about the drugs that we found? It's worth a lot of money."

"I'll admit that I was selling drugs, but I did not do anything to that cop," Oscar said pointedly.

Jack walked around so that he was next to Oscar. "Where were you three days ago?"

Oscar looked up at him. "I was at home, sleeping. It was my day off."

"Anybody who can verify that?" Samantha asked.

"No, I was alone."

"That's convenient," Samantha said. She leaned forward so that her elbows where resting on the table. "We had a man call us today. He said that you were bragging about taking an agent."

Oscar was confused. He looked between them. He brought his hands and placed them in his lap. He looked at the two way mirror and back at Samantha. "I didn't do no such thing," he protested.

Jack glared at Oscar. He slammed his fists against the table. "Where is he?" he yelled.

Oscar jumped at the sound of Jack's voice. "I didn't do anything," he whined. "I swear."

Jack leaned in close to Oscar's face. "If you take one of my agents, you're a dead man," he whispered.

Oscar looked towards the ground. He began to move his lips but no words were coming out. He was silent before he said, "I want a lawyer."

Samantha sighed heavily. She got up and walked out of the room. She waited outside for Jack. "Well, what do you want to do now?"

Jack sighed. "Nothing more we can do." He looked at Oscar through the two way mirror. "We're back at square one."

Samantha sighed. She walked away from Jack. She really didn't know where she was going, but she knew she was done. She was done with all of it. She couldn't handle it anymore. Somebody else can take her place. It was too much. It was one huge disappointment. Martin was supposed to stay missing. She had to learn to accept that.

Samantha made her way to the bathroom. She was detached now. She wanted nothing more than to find Martin, but she couldn't handle the constant let downs. It would devour her. She had to tell Jack that she didn't want to work this case anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter eight**

_Martin 77 hours missing_

_Samantha 4 hours missing_

Samantha Spade was now another statistic, just like Martin. Elena saw Samantha disappear into the bathroom, and then she just vanished. She was nowhere to be found. Just like Martin, Samantha had left many unanswered questions.

But unlike Martin, Samantha left a clue.

They had found the video surveillance. Samantha was willingly leaving with a man who had a baseball cap draped over his face, obviously trying to conceal his face. At first, they had assumed that Samantha had left with him. But because the man was successfully concealing his face, the team dove deeper. The man didn't want his face to be seen.

Jack pointed to the reflection on the glass window. "See if you can enlarge that," he said.

"Okay," Lucy obeyed. Everybody watched as Lucy tried to enlarge the reflection. Samantha was smiling while the man's face was turned towards the ground. It wasn't good enough to get a picture from.

Vivian sighed. She followed Jack out of the tech room. "Do you think that their disappearances are connected?" She crossed her arms and stared at him.

Jack sighed and thought for a moment. He stared straight ahead. "I don't know. There are so many factors involved." He shifted his feet. "Martin disappeared without so much as a phone call while Sam seemed to of left willingly with an unidentified man. It really doesn't appear to be connected."

Vivian crossed her arms. "Where do you want me?"

"I want you to work on finding anything about this guy that Sam left with."

Vivian nodded and headed back towards the tech room.

***

Danny and Elena sat at the conference table double checking Martin's records. They stifled through them until Danny broke the silence. "This has me freaked out," he began. "How could Sam and Martin disappear at the same time? It doesn't make sense."

Elena took a deep breath. She reached across and rubbed Danny's shoulder. "No matter what happens, we'll find them."

Danny dropped the papers and stared at Elena. He leaned back in the chair. "What do you think happened to them?"

"I don't know. I truly don't know."

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a shrill cell phone ringing. Danny reached into his pocket and grabbed. He stared at Elena as he spoke. Her face was blank. He hung up the phone and said, "The missing car was in the Hudson."

Elena's eyebrows furrowed. "What?" she said grabbing her coat and following Danny out.

Danny and Elena flashed their badges to the police officers that guarded the caution tape. A crane was slowly lifting the car from the water. As it did, water began pouring out like a temporary waterfall.

Elena leaned close to Danny. "That's the car," she said.

Danny gave her a weak smile. He knew. It was the car that Martin was driving in before he disappeared. He trailed towards the car. He and Elena waited patiently as the car was lowered onto the ground. When the car was on all four wheels, they maneuvered around it, checking for any sign of damage. To their amazement, there was none. Aside from a few scratches from the car being drove into the river, it was clear.

An officer stepped up beside the couple.

"How was the car driven in there?" Elena asked bobbing her head towards the lake.

"Whoever did it secured a brick on the gas pedal and ran it in. It was obviously intentional," the officer offered before stepping away.

"Looks like Martin might have ran the car into the river before taking off," Danny said. He seemed disappointed. He turned around without another glance towards the car or his girlfriend.

Elena ran up beside him. "Do you really think that that's what Martin did?"

Danny stared at her for a beat. "Yeah, I do. Why else can't we find anything? He's a trained FBI agent. He knows exactly how to disappear."

***

Vivian played with her fingernail as she stared at the screen. It took her longer than normal to locate the surveillance videos from the parking garage. Just like with the first one, she sat through hours of tape trying to find Samantha and the mysterious man. This time she had company. Danny sat next to her scanning through the videos.

"So, you think that Martin ran?" Vivian asked finally breaking the silence. She stopped the tape and popped in the next one.

Danny looked at her. "Don't you? I know that you were the one to suggest it."

Vivian sighed. "As much as I hate to admit, I agree with you especially if the car didn't have damage. I think that Jack agrees with us, too."

"Wait, wait, wait," Danny chanted. "Rewind it."

Vivian did as Danny asked.

"Right there," Danny announced pointing to the screen.

Samantha and the stranger walked quickly towards the silver car. The man still concealed his face while Samantha and he parted so that they could get inside of the car. As the car pulled out, Vivian paused it. Their eyes scanned the screen and read the license plate.

Danny immediately ran to the computer and typed in the license plate number. Vivian watched as Danny's face turned into shock. "It says here that the car is registered to Christian Wilson."

Vivian stared at him. "Makes sense why she left with him. But where is she? Either he dropped her off somewhere or he did something to her."

Danny raised his eyebrow. "Let's go get him and bring him in."

"Christian is not in," Jack announced as he entered the bullpen. "We have our first feasible suspect. Let's get to work on finding Christian."


	9. Chapter 9

_I just want to say thanks to all of those who read and a special thanks to all those who review._

**Chapter nine**

Martin 82 hours missing

Samantha 9 hours missing

The shadows covered Samantha's face as the car passed under street lights. Her right wrist was handcuffed to the seat. It was the lever that pulled the passenger's seat forward or backward. She was on the floor where Christian forced her to be. She looked up at him with pleading eyes. They had been driving for the past ten hours with a few five minute bathroom breaks. Her muscles were cramped from crouching on the floor.

Christian didn't speak to Samantha much except when he threatened her or when he allowed her to get out for one of her breaks. She didn't know why he abducted her.

She mostly thought about two things: her future and Martin. She didn't know what Christian's plan was for her. She was scared, but after hours of riding in silence, her fear had subsided. Now, she mostly thought about Martin. She knew that the team was going to be looking for her. That means that there would be less people looking for Martin.

Samantha knew the reason why Christian had taken her. He told her from the start.

***

_Samantha pushed the door to the bathroom open. It easily swung open as she exited the bathroom. Then she felt the door smack into somebody. She gasped and turned around to see who she smacked. She saw Christian rubbing his head. "I'm sorry," Samantha said flatly. _

_Christian held his hand to his forehead. He retracted his hand and stared at it. "No, it's okay," he laughed. He looked up at Samantha. His smile faded when he saw Samantha's puffy eyes and red cheeks. "What's wrong?" He placed a tender hand on Samantha's shoulder._

_Samantha shuddered. She shook her head and looked down. She hugged herself. _

_Christian looked at her with intent. "Come on," he smiled. "You can tell me."_

_Samantha stared at Christian. "I'm going to tell Jack that I need to be transferred to another case."_

_Christian's eyes popped from his head. "Why? You're a good agent."_

_Samantha sighed. She stepped away from Christian so that he wasn't touching her anymore. She shrugged. "I can't handle it."_

_Christian placed his hand on her back and led her to a more secluded corner. "What do you mean?"_

_Samantha glared at Christian. He was prying where he didn't belong. "I mean that every lead that we find turns out to be a dead end. I get excited because I think that we found him and…nothing."_

_Christian's shoulders fell. She was so miserable because of this one man. He felt for her. "Do you want to go out and have a drink?" he asked. When she hesitated, Christian added, "I was hoping that I could convince you to stay on this case. Your team mates are no good without you."_

_Samantha smiled. Why not go with him? She was on her way to tell Jack her decision, and she knew that after she told Jack, he would probably send her home. Either way, she was getting out of the office. "Sure," she smiled. _

_Christian smiled. He reached into his pocket for a hat and placed it on his head. He grinned at her. He motioned towards the door with a bob of his head._

_Samantha smiled as she followed Christian to the door. _

_Samantha climbed into the passenger's seat of Christian's car. She crossed her hands in her lap. She smiled at the thought of going to have a drink in the late morning/early afternoon. It was so unlike her. At least her mind will be diverted away from Martin. _

_Christian closed the door after he climbed in. His eyes sparkled at Samantha. "Where to?" he asked._

_Samantha smiled. "The same place," she responded. "It was fun."_

_Christian smiled and started the car. _

_Samantha stared out the window. She watched as a slur of people went by in a mixture of colors. When the car stopped at a stop light, Samantha saw a man handing who she assumed was his daughter an ice cream cone. The little girl bounced with excitement. Samantha smiled as she felt the car began to sway. Suddenly, she felt the car turn right. She whipped her head towards Christian with her mouth agape. "Isn't the bar straight?" she asked pointing in the direction of the bar. _

_Christian didn't say anything. He just kept driving. _

_Samantha suddenly became nervous and alert. She fidgeted in her seat. "Christian?" she asked in a childish voice._

_Christian's soft face contorted into evil. His sinister eyes made Samantha lean away from him. He merged onto the freeway and into traffic. He began to reach up to sixty-five miles an hour. He looked at Samantha, then to the traffic. He fixed his gaze on Samantha again before saying, "Don't act surprised."_

_Samantha's heart began to beat faster. What was Christian up to? "What are you doing?" she asked him, afraid of the answer._

_Christian smiled. He lifted his right hand off of the steering wheel and began to pet Samantha who scooted away from him. He laughed. "You belong to me, Baby," he smiled. _

_When Christian stopped at a stop light, he ordered Samantha to get on the floor. When she did, he slapped the cuffs on her wrist and secured it to the seat._

_***_

In a way, the wait was killing Samantha. She wanted Christian to do whatever it was he was going to do. She knew that he was driving them somewhere, and he was being careful. He stuck to the speed limit and didn't do anything that might cause alert from a passing police officer. He was careful.

The car stopped. She looked up at Christian. "We're here," he announced. He got out of the car and walked around to the passenger's side. He uncuffed Samantha's wrist and grabbed her hand.

Samantha knew that Christian had his gun. She wasn't certain where, but she knew that he had it on him. She followed Christian to the house. It was a small house but beautiful. Unfortunately, she couldn't see any details of the house because it was dark. She could, however, see the faint glow of lights to the right. She knew immediately that the houses in this neighborhood were placed sporadically.

Christian led Samantha into the house where he taped her hands behind her back with duct tape. He forced Samantha to sit on the couch before he walked to the kitchen. "Do you want anything?" he asked clinking around.

"Yeah," Samantha said, "how about you let me go?"

Christian walked up to Samantha with a mug in his hand. He sipped it before saying, "I went through all this trouble to get you. I'm not letting you go."

Samantha stared at him with dead eyes. She was weary, but that was the least of her worries.

Christian sat on the couch next to Samantha. He placed his mug on the coffee table and leaned back. He wrapped his right around Samantha's shoulders and pulled her close. He sniffed her hair and smiled. He squeezed her.

Once again, the room was bathed in silence. Samantha could hear her heart beating out of her chest. She could also hear her own breathing perfectly well. It was a little strained.

Christian began rubbing Samantha's arm in soft circles. He gently kissed the top of Samantha's head before he whispered, "I love you."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter ten**

_Martin 84 hours missing_

_Samantha 11 hours missing_

It had taken eleven hours to get where ever it was they were going.

The house was empty…literally. There was nothing but a few dust particles swirling in the air. Christian had moved. He had taken every piece of furniture with him. The landlord said that he had moved a few days ago.

They were at a dead end both with Martin and Samantha. They had resumed the search for Martin. Even if he did run away, there had to be some evidence. They had checked the car for fingerprints, blood, or anything else that might be useful, but there was nothing. And now there was nothing on Samantha.

Elena sat at her desk. Samantha was a good friend that she didn't want to lose and so was Martin. Although Jack, Danny, and Vivian all thought that Martin ran away, she didn't believe it. For some reason the team had lost faith in him. Maybe it was because they were all frustrated. Maybe it was because they were tired. Maybe it was because they were worried. But what if they couldn't find Samantha either? Would they believe that she ran away with Christian? Maybe she ran away with Martin and Christian was just her alibi.

Elena sunk deeper into her seat. That was it! What if Martin and Samantha ran off with each other? After all, she had a feeling that they were going out before she came to this team. She was about ready to pitch her idea to Jack, but then she thought better of it. The team was slowly seeping into her conscience. Martin and Samantha wouldn't do that. There was no way. She had seen Samantha willingly leave with Christian. It didn't mean that he didn't' do something to her later. It was a good possibility.

***

Christian wanted more with Samantha. He wanted more than she would ever offer, and that's why he decided to take it.

Samantha begged and pleaded with Christian. He had ripped her shirt off and was kissing her neck fiercely. It was hard to squirm, but she did. She was tough and powerful, but Christian's extra fifty pounds of weight was no match for Samantha. She doomed from minute one.

Christian was getting agitated by Samantha's screaming and yelling. He slapped her a few times, but it didn't work. He climbed off of Samantha and paced in front of her. He was angry.

Samantha could taste her salty tears. It was the only taste that she had in a long time. Her mascara ran down her face. Her left side of her lip was cracked and bleeding. She sat up and stared at Christian. She wasn't complaining, but she was wondering why Christian had stopped trying to rape her. She sniffled. She didn't look at Christian.

"I tried," Christian began. "I gave you so many chances to love me, but you wouldn't. I tried to be nice to you. I even tried to help you find Martin, but nothing was ever good enough."

Samantha's heart fluttered. Martin. She wished Martin were here. She wanted to be in his arms. But he was missing. For all she knew, he was dead. Technically, she was missing too. For all she knew, she would be dead soon.

He had no idea what she was going through. Nobody did. Now, her heart began to ache. Maybe he did know what she was going through. She knew that he didn't run. It wasn't like Martin to run away. There was no other option. Something bad had to have happened to him. She was so willing to give up on Martin when he probably went/ is going through what she's going through right now. How could she be that selfish? Now, she knew that she had to get out of here. No matter what the ending, she had to know what happened to him.

"Christian, I'm sorry that I hurt you, but you really need to let me go," she pleaded. She was determined, now more than ever, to find Martin.

Christian let out a throaty laugh. "What have you done to convince me that I should let you go?"

Samantha looked up at him. "You didn't mean to do this, right?" she said. "You just couldn't resist the urge at the time. But, to me, you look sorry. You didn't mean to do this. But you can fix it by letting me go."

Christian laughed. He nodded his head and continued to pace in front of Samantha. "Yes, I did. I knew that I wanted you for a long time. I planned this for months. You didn't even know I existed when I planned this." He paused and grabbed his empty mug. He walked to the kitchen to refill it. "But you love Martin. You will always love Martin, and that was my downfall."

Samantha didn't know that her love for Martin was blatant. She thought that she had concealed her feelings from him. Apparently telling somebody that she loved Martin was redundant. They knew just by watching their interaction.

Christian began to laugh sinisterly. He walked up behind Samantha and whispered in her ear. "He loves you, too." He wrapped his right arm around Samantha's face covering her mouth and nose with a cloth; he pressed firmly. With his left hand, he pressed Samantha's forehead against his stomach so that she couldn't move her head.

Samantha's heart began to flail as her body craved oxygen. She could smell the unmistakable scent. It was what astute predators used to knock their victims unconscious. Her arms were bound behind her back. There was nothing she could do as her body caved in on itself. Her blood craved oxygen. Her heart beat was beginning to slow. She couldn't handle it anymore. Finally, her body gave up on her as her eyes fluttered closed. She was limp and unmoving. When Christian removed the cloth, her body was replenished with the heavenly element. Her lungs slowly filled with oxygen as the heart pumped the oxygen rich blood through her body.

Samantha lay on the couch, defenseless and vulnerable to anything. With no chance of Samantha defending herself, Christian slowly stalked towards Samantha with evil brimming in his eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter eleven**

_Martin 88 hours missing_

_Samantha 15 hours missing_

It was dark and cold. Her body ached. Samantha didn't know why. Then she remembered what happened. Did Christian rape her? He could have, but she didn't know. If he did, she was happy that she couldn't remember it.

Her body shivered trying to rid itself of the cold. Samantha didn't have her shirt on, but she had her bra and jeans on like she had when she was knocked unconscious. She tried to move but couldn't. It was then and only then did she feel her right wrist clasped with a metal bar. She was handcuffed.

Samantha's body rested on cement causing her bones to dig into her. Maybe that's why she ached. She was sprawled out on the ground, exposed to the cold. She didn't bother looking around. She couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. Her head throbbed. She brought her left hand to her forehead and rubbed. She could hear a dripping faucet. It was the only sound that her ears detected. She listened intently for something else, preferably Christian.

Then she realized it for the first time. There was a liquid on her hand. She could feel it. Fearfully she reached her hand up and licked it. It was blood. She could move all parts of her body. Maybe it didn't belong to her. But who did it belong to?

She began to feel around her body for a wound. Nothing on her body hurt that bad. It was just aching. But when she ran her hand over her stomach, she felt something that shouldn't have been there: more blood. There was a wound on her stomach. Maybe it hurt so much that her body grew tolerant of the pain and therefore numb.

Samantha began to whimper. What was going on? She didn't know where she was. She didn't know what happened to her. She didn't know how long she was out.

Then she began to smile as images of Martin flooded her mind. She pictured herself waking up in bed with him next to her, wrapped in each other's arms. Her mind's eye was so vivid that she could feel his skin on hers.

"Sam?"

Samantha looked around which was pointless. She didn't say anything. She just listened. She whimpered again as the pain from her stomach became more pronounced. She closed her eyes and held her breath so that the wave of pain could pass.

"Sam?" The voice was more forceful as if the owner seemed sure of itself.

Samantha lifted her head from the ground. She brought her left arm up and rubbed her eyes one at a time. She scanned her eyes which were pointless, but it was a natural human reaction. "Christian," she said. Her body tensed. She knew that Christian had hurt her and now he was coming back.

"Sam, is that you?"

Samantha lifted her head again. It was then that she realized that it didn't sound like Christian. But could it really be him? "Martin?" she asked softly. She looked around. God, how she hated the dark.

"I'm here," the voice replied from the darkness.

Samantha's heart fluttered. It didn't sound like Martin, but it did at the same time. But if it wasn't why would the man reply to Martin's name. She had to make sure. "Is it really you, Martin?"

"Yeah," Martin replied. His voice sounded strained.

Samantha perked up. She maneuvered herself so that she was sitting. She looked in the direction towards Martin. "Are you okay?" That's why she started thinking about Martin. She heard him calling her name without even realizing it.

"Yeah," he breathed, "just a few scratches. What about you?"

"I'm bleeding," she said without reservation.

She heard Martin sigh. She wished she could see him. "I know. I saw Christian carry you down here. You were limp, and I was scared. I've been calling your name for awhile," he admitted.

Samantha lay back down on the cement. Her head was spinning as vertigo threatened to take a hold of her. "What happened to you? We've been looking for you for about three days." She paused and thought. "Well, actually it's probably longer."

"I was going to interview Richard when the car stopped. Then Richard pulled up alongside me and offered me a ride. I didn't know that I would end up here," Martin said. He was debating on whether or not he should tell her what Christian threatened him with.

Samantha didn't say anything. She really didn't want. She was ecstatic that Martin was okay. But she was pissed because it was Christian. The whole time Christian helped her look for Martin. He knew what happened to him all along. She tensed her body when another wave of pain rushed at her.

Martin could hear Samantha whimper. It was why he called her name in the first place. "What's wrong?"

Samantha allowed the pain to subside before she answered. Her body went limp, and her eyes closed. "Nothing," she responded, "the pain's bad. Then she realized that Martin could be in that much pain. She wished she could see him. "Are you in pain?"

Martin gave a light laugh. "Not really. He hit me a few times, but it's nothing too bad."

"Are you tied up?"

Martin jingled his left wrist causing the handcuffs to clink against the metal pipe. "Yeah."

Samantha grew quiet as did Martin. They didn't know what to say. The only thing that Samantha could think of saying was telling him that she loved him. But she didn't know if the feeling was mutual, so she didn't bother opening her mouth. Maybe she could tell him how worried about him she was. "I have to admit that I was really worried about you."

Martin sighed. "I was worried about you, too."

Samantha twisted her torso so that she was rested on her elbows. She looked in the direction that the voice was coming from. "What?"

Martin took a deep breath. "He spent the entire time telling me that he was going to go after you. Then I heard somebody screaming, and I knew it was you. When he brought you down here, I thought you were dead."

Samantha laughed. She loved to hear that Martin was worried about her. "No," she said quietly, "I'm fine."

Martin laughed. She shifted his body. He was cold, too, but unlike Samantha he actually had all of his clothes on. His stomach was killing him, but he wasn't going to tell Samantha that. He had spent however long he's been down there thinking about Samantha and what Christian was going to do to her. The way Christian talked, he was going to rape her and murder her. Then his stomach began doing summersaults. That's why Samantha was screaming earlier: because he was raping her. He had to know. "Sam?" he asked softly.

"Hmm?" was all he heard.

"Did Christian rape you?"

Samantha thought about it. "At first he tried, but he stopped. I don't know what he did to me when I was out so maybe."

Martin frowned. At least she didn't remember if he had, but that also meant that Christian didn't have any trouble raping her. His stomach began to flutter. He knew what Christian's plan was for Samantha, but he just couldn't tell her. That simple yet true fact didn't make Martin feel better.

Suddenly, light flooded into the room from the opened door. Martin and Samantha immediately looked at each other.

Samantha saw that Martin was lying on the ground just as she was. His shirt was torn allowing her eyes access to the wound on his stomach. He had dirt all over him. His lip was cut, and he had a bleeding wound on his left cheek. She wanted to cry. This is what he was going through while she was out having drinks with the very person who did this to him. This is what he was going through when she decided that she was going to tell Jack that she didn't want to work this case anymore. This is what he was going through when she began to think that Martin might have run away. This is what he was going through when she was at home, safe in her bed praying for sleep.

Martin returned Samantha's reaction. Samantha was lying on the ground with her head turned so that she could look at him. She had on only her bra. He shivered at just the thought of having no shirt. He peered back at small wound on her stomach above her belly button which he found had stopped bleeding since the last time he saw her.

Christian slowly stalked down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked between the two. He turned to Samantha and said, "Looks like you found him after all."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

_Martin 93 hours missing_

_Samantha 20 hours missing_

Vivian had been diligently working on trying to find Christian. When she looked at his credit card records, her heart jumped. He was using his credit card! How stupid could he be? Maybe he didn't have a choice. He was using it along the same highway. She ran to tell Jack. She knew that they were going to take a trip.

***

Samantha and Martin looked at each other with confusion. Christian was just sitting on the bottom step with his head in his hands. He was looking between the two with a ominous smile. He finally turned towards Samantha and spoke. "How does it feel to be in love with the one that you can't have?"

Samantha's heart began to ache. Her breathing became labored as she realized what Christian was going to do. Samantha shook her head. She opened her mouth, but she didn't know what to say. "I…I..." was all she could say.

Christian got up and walked towards her. He grabbed her by her hair and pulled straight down forcing Samantha to sit up and look at him. He looked at her. His eyes began to soften as he leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

Samantha whimpered. She tried to pull away, but his grip on her hair was too tight.

Martin watched Samantha struggle against Christian's lips. He wanted to pound on Christian, but the handcuffs prevented that.

Christian released his hold on Samantha, and she collapsed on the ground. He walked back towards the stairs and began to pace. He looked at Martin and saw the anger in his eyes. Then he looked at Samantha and saw the fear in her eyes. "Do you have any idea what I had to do?"

Samantha just gave him a grave look.

"I knew that you were in love with Martin," Christian said.

Samantha looked at Martin who stared at her with pity. She couldn't take it, so she fixed her gaze on the floor.

"Every time I would look at you when he was around, you would beam. And I also knew that if I wanted you, I would have to get rid of him. So I emptied the gas tank in Martin's car and followed him. It wasn't hard to get him to come with me. All I had to do was show him my badge. I took him to my apartment and came back for the car. Then I planted his gun and badge in Oscar's factory." He looked towards Samantha. His eyes were hollow. "I thought that with Martin gone, you would forget about him. But you wouldn't. You couldn't eat or sleep."

Samantha wanted to hide from Martin. She could feel his soft eyes burn into her skin. Martin wasn't supposed to know this. He was never supposed to know.

"I realized that Martin's hold on you was deep. I was angry because of the power he had over you. So, I came back and beat him."

Samantha gasped. She suspected it from the beginning, but she didn't actually believe it until now. Because she was in love with Martin, he was abducted and beaten. He probably hadn't had any food pass his lips. But then again, she really didn't.

"I was going to kill him. I had it all planned. But then I began to understand that it wasn't Martin's fault. Sure, he was in love with you, but he dumped you. He was obviously ignoring it."

Samantha's head shot up to stare at Martin. This time he put his head down and stared at the ground while her soft eyes burned his skin.

"That's when I became angry at you. That's when I knew that I had to follow through with my threat." He laughed and waved his hands around the basement. "And here we all are." He stalked up the stairs and closed the door bathing the basement in darkness. Then he turned on a light. It was more of a spot light that was trained on Martin. But the light was too bright, and Martin couldn't see beyond a few feet in front of him.

Samantha's heart rate began to quicken. She looked over at Martin. His face resembled hers. They could hear slow footsteps and heavy breathing coming down the stairs. It was the only sound that filled their ears.

Samantha and Martin didn't see Christian until he was in the bathing light. He turned towards Samantha and grabbed Martin by the chin. "See, this is what you put me through," he said. "How does it feel to be so close to the person you love but not be able to be with them?"

Samantha's breathing began to quicken. She stared at Martin, and she saw fear in his eyes. Christian's eyes were overflowing with excitement. He stared at Martin and then at Samantha. He grinned and said, "This is how it feels." He turned to Martin and kicked him in the ribs.

Martin winced with pain. He doubled over and grabbed his ribs. He knew that it wasn't the hardest he could kick. He knew from experience. Martin looked towards Samantha, but all he saw was white light.

Samantha screamed. She didn't want to see this. Sure, she could turn away or close her eyes. But that would be as if she was helping Christian. Plus, she could still hear Martin's whimpers. She had to do something, and she knew exactly what she had to do.

Christian lifted his leg again and drew it backwards. Martin closed his eyes expectant for the blow. But instead of feeling pain, he heard Samantha shout for him to stop. To his surprise, Christian stopped.

Samantha stared at Christian. He was struggling to see her. "What do you want me to do?" she asked. Her breathing was labored. "Whatever you want, I'll do it."

Christian grinned and stalked towards her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter thirteen**

_Martin 98 hours missing_

_Samantha 25 hours missing_

For over four days, Martin sat in the basement contemplating on what Christian was going to do with him. He wasn't beaten right away. He just sat in the darkened cold for hours before the door finally crept open. He had never met Christian before. He had no idea what Christian wanted with him until that moment.

_***_

_It was dark. He couldn't see anything. He immediately knew that his left hand was handcuffed to something. He couldn't believe how stupid he was. But Christian had a badge. He realized now that it was too convenient for Christian to be around. _

_The last thing that he remembered was drinking something that Christian had offered. It was obviously laced with something. Maybe rohypnol? _

_His body shivered. It was so cold. His stomach roared demanding food. _

_He sighed. He tried to work his wrist from the handcuffs. He knew it was pointless, though. But desperation could do a lot to a man. He began to feel around, trying to find anything that he could use in his escape. _

_He knew he wasn't going to escape. It was completely pointless, but he didn't know what to do. He wanted to get out of here. He didn't want to find out what this guy's plan was. _

_Suddenly, a stream of light slowly crept towards him. He looked up and saw the door being cracked open. He turned on the spot light. Martin's eyes began to hurt. He tried to watch as Christian stalked close, but the bright light in his eyes prevented that._

_Christian immediately walked up and slapped Martin in the face, causing his left cheek to bleed. It also caused his lip to crack and bleed. "She loves you. She doesn't deserve you," he spat._

_Martin reached up and grabbed at his cheek. He retracted his hand and saw blood. "What are you talking about? Who loves me?"_

_"Samantha."_

_Martin's heart stopped beating. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? Samantha couldn't love him. She had not acted like it. She wanted to keep their relationship a secret. He had always cared for her, but he couldn't take lying anymore. "She doesn't love me."_

_Christian laughed. "Love really is blind." He paused and stared at him. He kicked him a few times in the ribs and stomach._

_Martin was in pain. His agony seemed to make Christian happy. He doubled over and grasp at his stomach as blood poured from it. "I didn't know," he breathed._

_"She loves you," Christian reiterated. He smiled. "And that's why I have to get rid of her. She won't go for me. She's hooked on you."_

_Martin shot his up and stared at him. He was going to hurt Samantha. _

_Christian smiled. He began to pace in front of Martin. "That caught your attention," he smiled. "I know you love her, too. It's blatant." He leaned down beside Martin and said, "I'm going to rape her over and over again. And then I'm going to kill her." Martin stared straight ahead. "Don't worry, you'll be long gone."_

_Martin gasped as he saw the gun for the first time. He pointed it at his head. "See you in hell," Christian spat. _

_"I broke up with her. I don't want to date her anymore. That's why I broke up with her. It's not my fault that she loves me. I'm not doing anything to prompt her," Martin said quickly. They were words that he didn't mean. He wanted Samantha to love him. _

_Suddenly, Christian stopped and lowered the gun. "You know, you're right?" With that he turned around and left leaving Martin in the swelling darkness. _

_***_

He spent the rest of the time thinking about Samantha. He was shocked to find that she loved him, but for all he knew, Christian was lying to him. But when Christian told him again in front of Samantha, he knew it to be true. He shouldn't be shocked. He stayed Samantha's friend for a reason, and it wasn't until now did he realize it. He had tried to stop loving Samantha, but she had a hold on him. It wasn't really unwelcome. It is what it is. He hung around Samantha at work for a distinct reason. And when he first heard a woman scream, he knew that Christian had Samantha.

_***_

_There was complete silence. Then, Martin heard somebody screaming. His heart fell. He knew whose voice that belonged to. He couldn't believe that Christian had followed through with his threat. _

_Samantha's screaming was full of fear and pain. It was bloodcurdling. It was the kind of scream that only actors did in a murder movie. He had no idea that that kind of scream existed in real life. He tried to cover his ears. He was turning his back away from Samantha, but what could he do? He was cuffed to a pipe._

_Suddenly, the screams faded. He couldn't hear Samantha anymore. It worried him because for all he knew she was dead. His nerves danced in his stomach until he heard the door handle jiggle. He looked up and saw Christian appear in the doorway carrying a motionless Samantha. He had one hand underneath Samantha's knees and the other underneath the middle of her back. _

_He prayed that the woman upstairs wasn't Samantha, but he knew when he saw her. She wasn't wearing a shirt, so he easily saw her bleeding abdomen. Her lip was cracked, and it carried dried blood. Why was her shirt off? His heart ached. He probably did rape her. _

_Samantha's arms dangled as Christian walked down the stairs. Her head drooped towards the floor. Her eyes were closed. Her face was serene. It looked like she was sleeping._

_Christian gently placed Samantha on the ground. He pulled out some handcuffs and secured her to the railing of the stairs. He looked up at Martin and smiled. "She's alive," he said before climbing up the stairs and disappearing behind the closed door. _

_"She's alive" was the sweetest words that he had heard since this happened. He continued to call her name. He prayed that she was out because of what he gave her and not because of a head injury or something. He called her name in sporadic intervals. He didn't know how long it was when he heard whimpering._

_"Sam?"_

_***_

He knew that when he saw Christian carry Samantha's limp body he was in trouble. His heart flew out to her. He wished it were him in that state. He knew that he would always love her. He knew that his love for her will always be in the way. He also knew that he wanted to be with her.

Martin turned his attention to where Samantha _was _tied up. Christian had taken her away from him hours ago. And he hadn't seen either of them since. But, he heard Samantha screaming and crying. Once again, he covered his ears trying to get Samantha's cries out of his mind.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter fourteen**

_Martin 102 hours missing_

_Samantha 29 hours missing_

Martin had sat in the basement just lying on the ground worrying about Samantha. He had no idea what Christian did with her. He had no idea what Christian was going to do with him. He hadn't heard Samantha since she screamed. He heard nothing except for the sound of the faucet dripping.

Martin had heard the sound of a rat scurrying. He tried to guess where the rat was. It was his game. If Christian didn't get to him first, boredom would. He guessed the rat was over by the stairs, then farther down where Samantha was. He guessed until he didn't hear the sound of four busy feet scamper across the cement.

Then Martin made a song out of the dripping water. It was a simple song with only one sound, but Martin's mind created an entire symphony with a double quartet jazz band playing the 12-bar blues.

His song was interrupted when he heard it: Samantha screaming, then silence. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he heard somebody else scream. But it wasn't Samantha. It was Christian. Christian was screaming. Maybe that meant that Samantha had found a way to hurt him. Then Samantha screamed; it was immediately followed by a loud crash on the floor.

Martin quieted his breathing so that he could fully hear what sounded like a struggle coming from directly above his head. His mind raced. He prayed that Samantha had the upper hand.

His thoughts were interrupted by Christian screaming in pain. It was immediately followed by a loud crash. Then he heard scurrying feet. Martin fixed his gaze on the door expecting to see Christian emerge with an evil grin. But when the light turned on, he saw Samantha quickly running down the stairs. She was clearly out of breath, and she had a few more bruises added to her body. But she was okay!

"Sam, what's going on?" Martin didn't see the shiny key dangling between Samantha's fingers until she had it in the lock of the handcuffs.

"We have to hurry," she breathed struggling to catch her breath as she turned the key in the lock. She grabbed Martin's hand and led him up the stairs.

It felt weird to walk. Martin had been chained to a pipe for over four days. Walking felt foreign to him. When he reached the top of the stairs, the first thing he saw was a bookcase lying on the ground with all of its contents sprinkled around it. He looked up at Samantha. "What happened?"

Samantha brought her pointer finger to her lips. They had stopped at the base of the stairs, intently looking around. Martin knew who she was looking for. He mimicked Samantha's behavior. He squeezed Samantha's hand and leaned into her ear. "I think we should leave," he whispered.

Samantha nodded slowly.

Martin could tell that she was scared. He began to wonder what happened to her for the nine hours that she spent with Christian. He became upset, but he wasn't going to show it. He turned his head towards her when he heard her scream.

She slowly began to walk through the living room. Why did the door to the basement and the door to freedom have to be so far apart? She squeezed Martin's hand and rested her hand above her butt as she slowly led the way. Her eyes scanned the room looking for Christian. She had left him underneath the bookcase, and he was gone. At least this time, she had Martin with her.

Samantha rested her hand on the door knob. She pulled, but it was stuck. She released Martin's hand and placed both hands on the door knob. With both hands, the door swung open.

Martin watched Samantha try to open the door. He stepped up help her, but she had already gotten the door open. He stepped back to allow Samantha room to open the door.

Samantha took one step out the door before Christian jumped out and held her in a death grip. A gun was immediately fixed on her head. She screamed.

Martin looked up and saw Samantha with a gun to her head. He immediately ducked behind the door. He watched them with the crack the connected the door to the wall. He also noticed how beat up Christian looked. He smiled. He knew that Samantha had caused it.

Christian pressed the gun to Samantha tightly. "How does it feel now?" he hollered. He looked around. "Where's Martin?"

Samantha's eyes wondered to where Martin was. She could see his eye peeking out, watching them. She shrugged.

Christian yanked Samantha towards the door, forcefully. "Liar," he said in her ear.

When Christian pulled Samantha into the house, his back was turned against him. He didn't hesitate. He immediately lunged at him. His target was the gun. He knew that he only had one chance to do this. If he screwed up, both he and Samantha could be hurt.

Samantha felt Christian let go of her. She turned around to see why. She saw Christian lying on his back with Martin on top of him much like Christian did to her. Christian had the gun in his hand which was raised above his head. Samantha bent down and tried to pry the gun from his hand, but his grip was too tight.

Martin somehow managed to block Christian's punches and grab a hold of his right arm. "Grab it," he said.

Samantha grabbed the gun and held it to Christian. She looked around. She knew that there were handcuffs around her somewhere. The same handcuffs that Christian used to bind her to the stairs. She spotted them on the floor. She nodded her head towards them.

Martin immediately knew what Samantha meant. He grabbed the handcuffs and stalked towards Christian. He drug Christian to his home gym in the far corner and securely fastened him to it.

He looked up at Samantha.

Samantha held the gun in her hand and walked to the phone. She put it to her ear and grunted. "It's dead."

Martin sighed. "I guess we'll have to walk to somebody's house."

Samantha sighed. She spotted her shirt sitting on a chair. She grabbed it before following Martin out the door.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter fifteen**

_Martin 20 minutes escaped_

_Samantha 20 minutes escaped_

Samantha remained quiet throughout their walk. Her arms were wrapped around her body as if she were comforting herself. She stared at her feet as she walked. She was whimpering. Nothing was hurting her. Nothing was touching her. And yet she whimpered. She stood a good distance away from Martin.

Martin stared at her with concern in his eyes. He tried to place his hand on her back, but she pulled away. She was completely distant. Martin sighed. "Sam, what's the matter?"

Samantha stared at her feet for a moment longer. She kept her eyes on the ground and shrugged. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Martin. "Just a long walk."

Martin sighed. He looked up at the house that they were headed to. They were only about half way there. "Samantha," Martin began, "I know that something happened. What happened when you were with Christian?"

Samantha hugged herself. She had to get control of her emotions.

_***_

_Samantha knew that Christian was counting on love to keep her with him. She was right. Christian left all the doors and windows unlocked. He kept Samantha on an invisible leash allowing her to roam freely with nothing binding her. She was eyeing the door often, but she couldn't run, not without Martin. No matter what he did to her, Samantha wouldn't run without Martin. _

_Christian wanted her to pretend like they were on their honeymoon. At least that's what Samantha got from it; he had never actually said that. But Christian made them have a candlelight dinner with him. Then, he made her dance with him. He kissed her a few times, and when she refused, Christian began to get more physical, forcing her to the ground and raping her. But she couldn't get think about being raped; if she did, both she and Martin were dead. _

_Christian was working in the kitchen preparing dessert while Samantha sat on the couch. She fixedly straightened her now torn and dirty jeans. She continuously eyed the keys that Christian so carelessly threw on the counter. The only problem was that he was guarding it without even realizing it._ _The key to releasing Martin was only a few feet away from Christian. She had to get into that kitchen. But what was she going to do?_

_Christian brought a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and rested them on the coffee table. Samantha eyed them, but she didn't go for any._

_Christian picked one up and brought it to Samantha's mouth._

_She eyed it, refusing it. Christian's other arms shot out and latched onto Samantha's wrist. He twisted it around causing agonizing pain to shoot up Samantha's arm. She immediately opened her mouth and took a tiny bit. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He began to eye Samantha. _

_Samantha's fear grew when his eyes were curiously wandering over her body. She tensed when he brought his hand up and slowly ran his fingers down her cheek. She tried to move away from his grip, but his arms latched onto her shoulders and pulled her closer. When he began kissing her neck, she began to scream and flail furiously. But that just caused Christian to climb on top of her and sit on her. When his hands began to reach around to unclasp her bra, fear took over her. She remembered everything in extreme detail when he raped her. She remembered his smell and his touch. She remembered the hurt and pain when he entered her. But it wasn't just psychical pain; it was mental pain, too. She also remembered the gleam in his eye._

_Samantha's fear turned into confidence when she realized that she wasn't going to get raped again. He had no right to do this to her. She took her thumbs and dug them into Christian's eyeballs deep enough to cause Christian to retract away from her. Samantha crawled out from underneath him when he screamed in pain. _

_The pain was insufferable. He had no defense against that. Christian climbed off of Samantha holding his eyeballs and screaming. He quickly regained his balance when he saw Samantha dash towards the kitchen. He overcame the pain quickly and ran after her. He caught her just before she entered the kitchen. _

_Samantha screamed as she felt herself fall to the ground. Once again, Christian was on top of her with his knees on the ground on either side of her. He was holding her hands down with one hand as the other went down to unbutton her jeans. Samantha smiled. She brought her knee up, and with one swift and quick movement she jammed her knee into his groin. _

_Christian rolled off of Samantha cupping his groin. He was doubled over and screaming in pain. Samantha stood up and watched him for a moment before she saw the bookshelf. The bookcase was taller than Samantha, and it held at least a hundred books including a thousand page encyclopedia and some glass knick knacks. She reached up and grabbed the bookcase and pulled. The bookcase fell on top of Christian. Christian let out a blood curdling scream as he was flattened to the ground._

_Christian saw Samantha run to the key. He tried to get up, but he couldn't. When Samantha disappeared into the basement, he began to panic. His muscles and strength began to pull himself off of the ground._

_***_

A small tear shed from Samantha's eye. She reached up and whipped it. She knew that she was stronger than anything that Christian did to her, but she couldn't shake being raped. She couldn't shake the hunger, exhaustion, and pain from being beaten and raped. Maybe after a little rest.

Martin felt what Samantha felt. He was hungry and tired. He was sore all over from being beaten. His concern for Samantha was growing quickly. She wasn't acting like herself. She had saved the both of them. And yet, she was down. Martin grabbed a hold of Samantha's elbow and stopped her.

Samantha stared at Martin. She was angry for touching him, but at the same time it was comforting.

Martin looked Samantha in the eyes. "What happened? You can tell me."

Samantha looked away. She hugged herself tighter. She couldn't bring herself to say the words.

Martin continued to stare at her. He had an idea what he did to her. Christian had told him what he was going to do from the start. When she was screaming, that's when he did it. "Samantha," Martin said. He looked at her. "Did he rape you?"

Samantha's silence gave him the answer he dreaded to hear. He stared off into the trees that swayed in the wind. He was trying to hide the tears that welled up in his eyes. He brought her in his arms. At first, Samantha resisted, but she easily sunk into his embrace. "We'll get you to the hospital."

Samantha smiled and pulled away. "And you too."

"We're both pretty beat up," he said. He placed his hand on her back, and they began to walk.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter sixteen**

_Two weeks later_

They had a search warrant. Samantha walked into the witness's house which happened to be vacant at the time. Because of this, she let her guard down. She was searching the upstairs bedroom for evidence. Eventually her mind began to wonder about everything else except her job.

She wondered about the memories that haunted her nightmares. Whenever she smelt peppermint or cigarettes, she saw Christian on top of her. Whenever she saw a man that had the same color eyes as Christian did, she saw Christian's dominant green eyes.

She looked down at a picture of the missing man's family. He was happy.

She wondered about when Martin learned the hard way. Never sneak up on Samantha. Last time he did, she started to cry and yell. At first, he was confused as to why she reacted like that. Then, realization hit him like a speeding bullet. He made sure to walk completely around her before approaching her if her back was turned to him.

She felt the heat that his body radiated before she felt the blow to her face. It was a light slap, but it was enough to cause stinging on her cheek. But Samantha was petrified. A man. There was a man hiding in the closet. Because she wasn't thinking about anything else but Christian's dominance, she hadn't noticed the man sneak up behind her. He was mad because the FBI was looming in his apartment without his permission.

Samantha shrieked as her heart began to race. Instead of fighting back like she should have, she cowered in the corner. Her mind was flashing back to Christian's uncouth and distasteful behavior as he raped her. She stared up at the man. He wasn't going after her anymore. He stood before staring down at her breathing heavily. His eyes were sparkling.

Vivian and Martin walked briskly to the room where Vivian escorted the house owner out of the room.

Martin bent down and reached for Samantha's hand. She backed up away from Martin. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said softly. He held his hand out waiting for Samantha to take it. She did. "Are you okay?"

Samantha shook her head. "Just stings a bit," she said. She looked back to Martin taking her hand back. Her eyes were soft. "I wasn't thinking about the job. I was thinking about the trial that's coming up, and he snuck up on me." Her voice became quieter as Martin had to strain to hear her. "He scared me."

Martin's hand hovered above her arm. He looked to her silently asking permission to touch her. When she nodded, he began to rub her arm. "I know. I'm here for you," he said.

Samantha smiled. He was the only man that she truly trusted. He was also the only man that she allowed to get close to her. He was the only man that could successfully comfort her during the night. She nodded letting him know that she knew. "Are you coming to my place?" she asked. Memories of the beginning of their relationship flooded Samantha's mind.

_***_

_Samantha's fingers continuously pressed the channel button on the remote control. She wasn't paying attention to the TV. Instead, she watched the movie that replayed in her head, and she was the number one actress. _

_The sun was beginning to hide behind the buildings bathing Samantha's apartment in shadows. She remembered it perfectly. The sun was shining in the house. There was the couch to her right and the TV to her left. Her bra was resting a few feet away from her head. Her panties and jeans were around her ankles. Christian was laughing as he thrusted. She tried to scream, but nothing would come out. Her tears were chocking her. He smelt of peppermint and cigarettes. His eyes were gleaming. She remembered it too well. _

_Samantha decided to curl up in a ball. She had already exhausted her tear ducts. There weren't any more tears pouring from her eyes, so Samantha just lay on the couch with nothing to motivate her. She tightened the soft blanket to her body as if she was blocking an imaginary man. _

_The movie played…and played…and played._

_Samantha's face was buried in her arms with her eyes shut. Then, she heard a man calling her name gently._

_Samantha jumped from the couch. Her heart was racing, and her breathing got deeper. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was unsettling. She swallowed and looked for the voice. She found Martin standing in front of her with his arms raising parallel to the ground. _

"_It's okay; it's just me," he said quickly. His face was dripping with apology. _

_Samantha grasped her heart. Her breathing was labored. "You scared me," she shouted without meaning to. She stopped everything and looked at the ground unblinking. She slowly began to crouch on the ground. _

_Martin immediately ran up alongside Samantha. He placed a hand on her back. "I'm sorry. I knocked, but you didn't answer; the door was open."_

_Samantha retracted away from Martin's hand. She hated men. They were disputable. She could be around men she knew and trusted, but touch was detrimental. "Just ask before you touch," she breathed looking to the ground._

_Martin immediately stepped away from her. He wasn't sure how he should feel. "Okay," he sighed. "I came here to see how you were."_

"_I'm fine," Samantha said conveying more anger than she felt in her voice. _

_Martin suddenly became nervous. He wasn't sure how she would react to what he was planning on saying. He thought about leaving, but he came here for a reason. He sat down by Samantha making sure there was a fair amount of distance between them. He crossed his legs before saying, "I know that you love me."_

_Samantha almost winced when he said that. Was he going to kick her while she was down? She just nodded. She was speechless. Here it was._

"_I love you, too."_

_Samantha finally tore her eyes away from the ground. Did he really just say what she thought she heard?_

"_You don't have to say anything," Martin whispered. He resisted the urge to brush a strand of hair from her face. "I just wanted you to know that."_

_Tears sprang to life in Samantha's eyes. She immediately lunged at Martin seeking warmth and comfort. She closed the space in between her and Martin and dug her fingernails into his back. _

_At first, Martin was shocked. He ignored the slight stinging in his back and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tight allowing her to cry in his shoulder. He rested his cheek on Samantha's head. _

_Rekindling their relationship was far from their minds given the circumstances, but instead of having it loom in the air, they had inadvertently woken up their dormant relationship. _

_***_

"Of course," Martin responded. He had been spending the night with Samantha at her apartment. Neither of them would get much sleep because Samantha would wake up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily and scared to death. Martin never asked her what her nightmares consisted of. He already knew.

Christian would haunt Samantha for the rest of her life. The question was how long she would allow him to hold his unrelenting grasp on her.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter seventeen**

Martin felt the bed shake. He instantaneously opened his eyes and grabbed for Samantha. She was whimpering in her sleep, thrashing her arms and legs about the bed. He called out her name, but she still continued her erratic behavior. He called out to her, louder this time.

Samantha threw her body so that she was sitting up. Her breathing matched her behavior. It was profound and rapid. Her body had tiny beads of sweat that ran down her skin moistening her body. She began to cry. When she felt Martin's hands around her, she jumped and crawled out of bed, shaking her head. She began to rapidly pace the floor with her hands covering her eyes. She was trembling as she stood.

Martin's eyes softened as she watched her. This wasn't the first time that she did this, and he knew that it wasn't going to be the last. "It was just a dream."

Samantha rubbed her tired eyes. "No… it wasn't," she cried. "It was real. He was on top of me. He was…"

"Come back to bed," Martin coaxed. He patted the bed next to him.

Samantha shook her head. She laid down on the floor where blankets and pillows had already been resting. She brought her knees to her chest and hugged herself. She began to think about Martin. He had been so helpful and patient lately. The last romantic contact that they had was years ago when they went out. The last hugging contact they had was a week ago. She felt bad. She wasn't pushing Martin away, but she wasn't pulling Martin towards her. She was torn. She only allowed Martin to touch her for only a second to rub a comforting hand over her. Just the thought of having a man touch her romantically caused her stomach to twist in knots, even if it was Martin.

Martin watched her for a few moments before slowly replacing his body back on the bed. He didn't know what he could do to help her. All he knew was that he desperately wanted to.

***

The trial was harder than Samantha thought. She had to describe, in detail, step by step what Christian did to her for the ten hours that she was confined under his watchful eye. She had to pause for a few minutes to gather herself. Reliving it as she spoke to a crowded court room was more than she could handle. She watched Martin the whole time, refusing to look at Christian's evil glare. She swore that she saw him shed a few tears. Great. She's getting pity from Martin. She didn't mind; it meant he cared, but it still bothered her deep down.

Martin saw Samantha sitting on the bench, staring mindlessly at something unbeknownst to him. He couldn't contain his enthusiasm. He ran up to her. "They convicted him, Sam. He's going to jail."

Samantha stared up at him. It was as if she was processing it. Then suddenly Samantha threw herself up off the bench and wrapped her arms around Martin. She lingered in Martin's embrace for a few seconds before retracting her body, much to Martin's objection. Her smile was from ear to ear. She was safe. He couldn't come after her anymore. There was no possible way. She knew that she would be set free with Christian off of the streets.

She was mistaken.

The nightmare disturbed her. Christian had come after her. In her dream, she was at home. She was happy and laughing until Christian broke in. It was in slow motion as he continuously raped her.

Tears ran down her cheeks as Samantha jolted awake; however, she didn't allow the water works to stop. The tears spilled from her eyes as she felt a pair of hands wrap around her. She instantly thought about Christian's hand binding her to the floor as he took advantage of her. She squirmed and flailed in Martin's arms.

Martin had no idea what was going through Samantha's head. He gripped her tighter hoping to calm her. It was a huge mistake when he felt he felt Samantha's red hot hand make contact with his cheek. He let go of Samantha and placed his left hand to his left cheek. He stared at Samantha with shock and pain in his eyes.

Samantha stopped crying. She simply stared at him. Then the tears began to plummet from her eyes. She lounged at Martin wrapping her arms securely around his neck. "I'm so sorry," she breathed.

Martin smiled. He rubbed her back.

"He can never hurt you again," Martin said to her quietly.

Samantha knew he was only saying it to try and make her feel better, but she knew it wasn't true. She would always have those memories. But she knew that eventually the memory would fade; it would be less pronounced. But getting to that point in her life was a long, atrocious journey with many bends in the roads. She smiled at him. Maybe her journey would come to a close sooner than she thought as she felt Martin's touch soothing her.

Martin had fallen asleep with his arms around Samantha. She lay awake like most nights except tonight she was safely cuddled in Martin's warmth and comfort. Slapping Martin for trying to comfort her crushed her. She realized that she was allowing Christian to break her. She couldn't keep running. Slapping Martin was her break through. She was going to heal herself starting from this moment. She hadn't really allowed Martin or even Lisa to help her, but now it was going to be different. She knew that it would take a while, and she knew that it wouldn't be easy. But she was going to do it.


	18. Chapter 18

_Good Job svufreak for predicting what happened to Martin _

**Chapter eighteen**

_3 months later_

Samantha walked to her desk. She couldn't help but hope that there was a missing person to find. She hadn't wanted to work for over three months, but now she wanted to get back to her normal life. She was making extreme progress with Lisa. She wasn't seeing her as much anymore which was fine by her. Her nightmares were still alive, but they weren't consuming her dreams. She smiled as she turned her head to scan the room for Martin. He wasn't there. She sighed and sat down. Martin wasn't at work yet.

It was only a few minutes before she heard Martin calling her name. He was still being compassionate to letting her know he was there before he touched her or sometimes approached her. "Hey," she said in a sweet voice. She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.

Martin smiled at her. "We have a missing person," he announced.

Samantha smiled. She jumped up off the chair and cheered.

Martin stared at her with bewilderment. Since when did she want to find a missing person? But he wasn't complaining. He smiled. "So are you going to be okay?"

Samantha smiled. She gave him a light peck on the lips. It was the first time that she kissed him in years. "I feel fantastic," she offered before stepping away from him.

Martin smiled and followed her. She had finally turned around. She had finally stopped allowing Christian to decide her fate. She will finally be able to move along with her life. She hadn't been as jumpy as she used to. She allowed him to touch her without asking just as long as she knew he was in her company. With these new changes, he shouldn't be so surprised about her wanting to work. "Okay, so her name is Melanie Potter, and she's been missing for about 34 hours."

Samantha stopped and whipped her body to face Martin. "She's been missing for that long?" she asked.

Martin smiled and shrugged. "You haven't really been paying attention to anything, lately."

Samantha smiled. She cocked her head. "Well, that's in the past." She stood on her tippy toes and kissed Martin on the tip of his nose prompting a delightful cackle from Martin.

Martin stared at her with a silly grin. He wanted to hug her really bad, so he did.

At first Samantha stood erect in Martin's grip before she slowly wrapped her arms around him. She barely squeezed her arms around him, then she realized that for sure that this is where she wanted to be: in Martin's arms. So she squeezed tighter allowing herself to sink into Martin's arms as they cuddled each other for as long as time permitted. Time didn't permit for very long as they heard somebody clear their throat.

It was Danny who stood there staring at them. He lips curled upwards exposing his teeth. He used his thumbs to point to the door. "We think that her ex may be holding her at his apartment, so we need you two. "

Danny, Vivian, and Jack were covering the fire escape while Samantha, Martin, and Elena knocked on the front door.

Samantha was first through the door. Her mind was completely focused on finding the little girl whose irrational father took her away from her mother in the middle of the night. She went through the condo shouting, "clear!" as did Martin and Elena.

Martin turned on the bathroom light before he rounded the corner with his gun drawn. Melanie jumped. She looked up at him, a tear glistening on her cheek. "Where's my daddy?" she asked in a tone that broke Martin's heart.

Martin walked to her. "I'm Martin, and I'm a policeman. I'm going to take you to your mother." He reached for her to pick her up from her seat in the bathtub where Melanie's father ordered she stay.

Melanie reached out for Martin as he picked her up. Martin smiled at Melanie as he exited the bathroom. He looked up and saw Samantha still clearing rooms.

Samantha walked down the hallway cautiously scanning her eyes for Melanie's father. She checked empty room after empty room.

Martin saw a closet door creak open after Samantha had passed it. Then he saw a gun slowly and quietly fix on Samantha. His heart fell in his chest as he handed Melanie off to Elena. By this time, the man had completely emerged from the closet, stalking quietly behind Samantha. He was afraid that another man would catch her off guard while searching a house. Only this time it would end with a bullet in Samantha's head. "Sam," he called, but it was too late. The gunshot had rung out.

Samantha heard heavy breathing from behind her. She twisted her body around and saw their suspect pointing a gun at her ready to fire. She lifted her gun. Without reservation, she shot him in the right shoulder causing the suspect to drop the gun and fall. Then she heard Martin's panicked voice calling her name.

***

"Mommy," Melanie called as she ran into her mother's open arms.

Her mother kissed her as tears of joy ran down her face. She rubbed the back of her head.

Samantha leaned against a car with Martin by her side as she watched this. And then she knew why she wanted to be an FBI agent. It was so she could save little girls like Melanie. She realized that because of Christian's death grip, she was unable to function as a normal human being. She allowed Christian to have too much power over her even from behind bars. She was going to allow a little girl to remain missing who was controlled by her father's abusive hand because of him. He didn't just ruin her life: He affected everybody's life that Samantha had contact with. Then she knew it. She knew that Christian could no longer hold her heart and her mind; he had finally relinquished his grip. She knew that she was going to be okay.

Martin ran his hand over Samantha's back before it rested on her waist. He suddenly felt her warmth leave him before he felt a pair of lips crash against his.

Samantha's and Martin's lips were locked together. At first the kiss was gently: just brushing their lips together lightly. Then Samantha opened her mouth to sanction Martin's tongue to assault hers. Their tongues raided each other. It was the first time that they kissed each other in years.

Martin was surprised as he saw Samantha pull away with a bright smile.

Samantha bit her bottom lip. She ran her hand down Martin's arm before stopping to intertwine their fingers. She led them to their car.

Martin couldn't help but take his eyes off of Samantha's beautiful smile. She noticed and said, "What?"

Martin laughed and looked to the ground for a few seconds. He looked back up at Samantha. "You're happy."

Samantha stopped and slowly brought her lips to Martin once more. "Yes, I am," she smiled.

_Thanks for reading._

_More importantly…thanks for reviewing!_


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